I think I like that post, but I'm not really sure what the (very valid) conclusion has to do with the preceding arguments. I always thought "she's so annoying" in that context meant that "her very existence annoys me" and yeah, that's a pretty fucking shitty thing to say, especially about a non-fictional person. The "annoying to watch her try" meaning had never even occurred to me. I guess that's the magic of not having English as my first language. :|
Hmmm. I just read it and I'm not sure what to make of it. I'm those people who use "annoying" as an adjective pretty often... and the way I mean it is pretty much in line with what she says about mosquito bites and bad traffic: enough to cause temporary pouting but goes away pretty much once the stimuli is taken away. They're not important enough to leave even a dent that needs time to heal, and that's what I would describe how I would feel if a character on a show is not to my liking, or if I read about some Hollywood stars and "politician" of the likes of Sarah Palin saying something silly.
I haven't noticed that I've used "annoying" more on women than on men or even children (<--yeah, I am horrible like that :) ) and random things...I think I use them mostly on a condition, or a particular behavior of a human being (such as gum popping) rather than he/she as a person in general. I confess I don't know how I react to actors and actresses in shows because I rarely go to the movies or watch TV. But I wonder if the term annoying is used more on female characters or personas because their roles have been more trivial in the first place—and the use of a trivializing adjective to describe our dislike for them is rooted from the fact that we never see them as anyone too important. And the latter is not so much because women are not important in our minds in general, but because those who tend to be presented on shows or in the news for us to comment on are simply not doing much of importance. As roles, they may only be marginally be of more use to forwarding the plot than that plump, pretty pillow in the background (if they don't actively prevent things from happening as the instigator of forced romances); as celebrities, some haven't even created something that is worth our sitting in their on-screen presence—our rendez vous are limited to the few minutes as I head towards the supermarket cashier— not to say anything that builds any form of emotional connection or resonance, or make us reflect on our own life philosophy and all that deep stuff :). How can I assign to Sarah Palin, for example, with a more important adjective than annoying when she hasn't done anything useful or substantial in her arena for me to weigh in on? At least a mosquito took a bit of my blood, can potentially give me malaria and an ugly swollen bite. What has she done?
Oh, those news on the Weiner twittergate is annoying too.
I'm fairly certain the author is referring to women being belittled and thus being labelled *annoying* because of their sex and not their behaviour. It's how people are expressing their disgust for something where it's used in the wrong context. Actions/circumstances/behaviours can be annoying. Not the persons themselves. And it appears to be more gender specific towards women in our slash dominated culture. At least, that's what I got out of it.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2011-06-12 09:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-18 07:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-12 10:48 pm (UTC)Peace,
Bubba
no subject
Date: 2011-06-18 07:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-26 09:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-26 09:14 pm (UTC)Peace,
Bubba
no subject
Date: 2011-06-12 10:49 pm (UTC)I haven't noticed that I've used "annoying" more on women than on men or even children (<--yeah, I am horrible like that :) ) and random things...I think I use them mostly on a condition, or a particular behavior of a human being (such as gum popping) rather than he/she as a person in general. I confess I don't know how I react to actors and actresses in shows because I rarely go to the movies or watch TV. But I wonder if the term annoying is used more on female characters or personas because their roles have been more trivial in the first place—and the use of a trivializing adjective to describe our dislike for them is rooted from the fact that we never see them as anyone too important. And the latter is not so much because women are not important in our minds in general, but because those who tend to be presented on shows or in the news for us to comment on are simply not doing much of importance. As roles, they may only be marginally be of more use to forwarding the plot than that plump, pretty pillow in the background (if they don't actively prevent things from happening as the instigator of forced romances); as celebrities, some haven't even created something that is worth our sitting in their on-screen presence—our rendez vous are limited to the few minutes as I head towards the supermarket cashier— not to say anything that builds any form of emotional connection or resonance, or make us reflect on our own life philosophy and all that deep stuff :). How can I assign to Sarah Palin, for example, with a more important adjective than annoying when she hasn't done anything useful or substantial in her arena for me to weigh in on? At least a mosquito took a bit of my blood, can potentially give me malaria and an ugly swollen bite. What has she done?
Oh, those news on the Weiner twittergate is annoying too.
*feels bitchy this evening*
*Huggles you hard*
no subject
Date: 2011-06-18 07:40 pm (UTC)I'm fairly certain the author is referring to women being belittled and thus being labelled *annoying* because of their sex and not their behaviour. It's how people are expressing their disgust for something where it's used in the wrong context. Actions/circumstances/behaviours can be annoying. Not the persons themselves. And it appears to be more gender specific towards women in our slash dominated culture. At least, that's what I got out of it.
no subject
Date: 2011-06-13 01:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-18 07:28 pm (UTC)